Well, that didn’t last long.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back to being himself after a momentary lapse.
On Tuesday, Sweden’s national soccer team lost its 2014 FIFA World Cup playoff game against Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s second-half hat trick secured Portugal’s qualification for next summer’s tournament, leaving Sweden captain Ibrahimovic to deal with the lingering sting of defeat.
Although Ibrahimovic applauded Ronaldo’s showstopping performance, he won’t be watching the Portuguese superstar pursue a world championship in Brazil and advises his fans to follow his lead. Ibrahimovic says the upcoming World Cup isn’t worth watching or waiting for since his prodigious talents won’t be on display, according to ESPN.
“It was probably the last attempt to reach the World Cup with the national team for me,” Ibrahimovic said on his app, Zlatan Unplugged. “One thing is for sure, a World Cup without me is nothing to watch so it is not worthwhile to wait for the World Cup.
“Congratulations to Portugal, but both teams deserved to get to the World Cup. The disappointment of course is great now that the World Cup in Brazil will remain a dream for the Swedish national team.”
Ibrahimovic is no stranger to hyperbole, having referred to himself as a “living legend” and “god” in recent years. However, this sounds more like a classic case of sour grapes. Like any spectacle, the World Cup relies on star power to capture the imagination of fans, and it would have been nice to see Ibrahimovic grace the world’s biggest sporting stage. But we have a feeling the World Cup will survive without “Ibra,” and billions of viewers will find other reasons to follow the action.
Click here to relive the Ronaldo-Ibrahimovic duel in our live blog>>
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